Friday, January 27, 2012

It’s too bad I didn’t go to film school. If I had, I could have done a clever play on the film noir genre for this balsamic beurre noir recipe.

Of course, it would have been done in black and white, and featured a chain-smoking, fishnet stocking-clad femme fatale who would eventually double-cross me after a few extended close-ups of spinning ceiling fans. But, I didn’t, so all you get is this plain old video for an incredibly easy and delicious, garlic-spiked, balsamic butter sauce.

The name is going to confuse a few culinary students out there. Technically, a “beurre noir” refers to a sauce where the butter is cooked until it turns a very dark brown, almost black color. I’m using the term “beurre noir,” as one would use “beurre blanc,” a butter sauce made with reduced white wine, or “beurre rouge,” one made with red wine. The technique is identical for these types of sauces, and we just change the name depending on the color.

For you guys out there looking for Valentine’s Day recipe ideas, you can’t go wrong with this very sexy sauce. Everyone knows cooking dinner for your sweetheart on V-Day is way more romantic than taking her out, and you really can’t beat the old home field advantage for these occasions. You don’t have to hire a private dick to figure that one out.

Anyway, I hope you give this a try soon. Rent some classic film noir, grill up some meat or fish, and spoon over this dark, dangerous, and deeply delicious sauce. Enjoy!

You've got to stop spying on me -- I make a similar sauce for duck breast.

But seriously, one word of warning about Balsamic vinegars -- there are a heck of a lot of fake ones out there, so beware. A lot of them are just plain cider vinegar or something like that with caramel coloring. Be sure to check the ingredient list.

I once dropped over $70 on a bottle of fake stuff at a fancy "gourmet" shop in Palm Desert. An expensive lesson learned.

Chef John.... thought I'd give it a whirl, used an aged balsamic vinegar from Modena, mixed it with "unsalted butter" at low heat, and WTF.... like oil and water! Stirred while reducing and could not get the consistent sauce thing going....que paso? Cheap Vinegar maybe? Bad Butter?

I just made a red wine sauce that keeps well in the freezer, and i reheat it in the pan just before use, would that work with this butter too? I'm asking because I too, hate UCBS, and wouldn't want this to separate.